What caused the Civil War? Slavery doesn’t immediately come to mind. according to Nikki Haley. The Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Governor failed to mention it when questioned at a town hall event in Berlin, New Hampshire on Wednesday evening.
The question came from a man who later identified himself to reporters simply as “Patrick”. He asked Haley “What was the cause of the United States Civil War?”. According to CBS, the Republican presidential hopeful replied “I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run, the freedoms, and what people could and couldn’t do. What do you think the cause of the Civil War was?”
The man answered that he wasn’t the one running for president.
The former US ambassador to the UN then tried again, staying on the same tack: “I think it always comes down to the role of government, and what the rights of the people are. And I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. It was never meant to be all things to all people. Government doesn’t need to tell you how to live your life.”
The man then told her “In the year 2023, it’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word slavery.” Haley answered “What do you want me to say about slavery?”. “You’ve answered my question, thank you” said the man, and Haley replied, “Next question.”
The exchange provoked an uproar outside the campaign event. President Joe Biden went to X to post a video about the Berlin town hall meeting stating laconically “It was about slavery”.
“Patrick”, who according to the Washington Post was at the event with his sons and wearing a plaid shirt, told reporters he had taken Haley to task because he had seen her answer a similar question in South Carolina and wanted to see if she would give the same answer in New Hampshire. In a 2010 private meeting, when Haley was running for governor in the Southern state, while talking with two leaders of Confederate heritage groups, she defined the Civil War as a fight between “tradition” and “change.”
The American Civil War (1861-1865) had many causes at its roots, but slavery – or rather President Abraham Lincoln’s intention to stop its expansion in the Western states – was certainly the triggering factor. The Southern States feared it would lead to its final abolition and the subsequent ruin of their economy, entirely based on slave labor. Seven Southern states – later joined by another four – seceded from the Union.
James Grossman, the executive director of the American Historical Association, quoted by the Washington Post, said that Haley’s answer reflects the seceding Southern states’ argument that their rights were infringed, but failed to mention that their “rights” included the “freedom” to perpetuate slavery against other human beings.
Others voices protested against Nikki Haley’s apparent lapse of memory – and not all of them were Democrats. The presidential campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a also shared a video of the event on X, saying “Haley inexplicably does not mention slavery in her response”.
But the explanation is simple. New Hampshire is a delicate swing State and Berlin County was dominated by Donald Trump in the last contested Republican primary in 2016. Trump also leads in the polls for the whole State among Republicans (Haley is a distant second).
The man who questioned Haley was heckled by some in the audience with others talked about a “set-up”. The Washington Post also reports the words of a woman, Vickie Plourde, undecided before the event and now persuaded to vote for Haley. Slavery was not an issue with her: “We have to move past that. If we continue to look in the past and say ‘Look, look, look, look,’ and we’re not moving forward, we’re going to stay back there.”
